World North Korea is dodging sanctions with a secret bitcoin stash

08:11 13 september 2017

08:11 13 september 2017 Source:
bloomberg.com

Armed action against N Korea 'not first choice'

President Donald Trump says US military action against North Korea is not "a first choice but we'll see what happens".Tensions between the two countries escalated after the Pyongyang regime recently carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.

How North Korean Hackers Are Stepping Up Bitcoin Attacks. North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

North Korea may be making a fortune from bitcoin mania NORTH KOREA HACK: IS KIM JONG UN STEALING BITCOINS TO FUND HIS NUCLEAR MISSILE ARSENAL? New U.N. sanctions against North Korea are the harshest yet.

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North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

The US military wants permission to start hunting down North Korean ships using 'all necessary measures'

In the aftermath of Pyongyang's ground-shakinghydrogen bomb test, the US has circulated a proposal around the UN Security Council that would grant its Navy unprecedented powers to use "all necessary measures" to hunt down North Korean ships at sea, the New York Times reports. The resolution would let the US stop all shipments of crude oil, petroleum, and natural gas to North Korea, according to The Times.Such a step would cause many in North Korea to freeze over the winter, which can hit harshly in much of the country.

I'm sorry, but a country of 25 million people is " dodging sanctions " with tens of millions of dollars in bitcoins ? It’s no secret that in recent years, North Korea has stepped up efforts to expand its nuclear weapons stockpile. More quietly, though, it’s been stashing another commodity: bitcoin and.

Dodging Sanctions With a Secret If North Korea is building up a bitcoin stash , then maybe there would be some way for the NSA to cripple the bitcoin currency and wipe out North . North Korean hackers are trying to steal bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Hackers from Kim Jong Un’s regime are increasing their attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea and related sites, according to a new report from security researcher FireEye Inc. They also breached an English-language bitcoin news website and collected bitcoin ransom payments from global victims of the malware WannaCry, according to the researcher.

Kim’s apparent interest in cryptocurrencies comes amid rising prices and popularity. The same factors that have driven their success -- lack of state control and secretiveness -- would make them useful fund raising and money laundering tools for a man threatening to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. With tightening sanctions and usage of cryptocurrencies broadening, security experts say North Korea’s embrace of digital cash will only increase.

France discusses increased pressure on North Korea with Trump, Abe

France's Emmanuel Macron discussed increased pressure and sanctions on North Korea on the telephone with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday, the French president's office said.The three leaders stressed the need for a "united and firm" reaction from the international community toward Pyongyang, Macron's office said.

If North Korea is building up a bitcoin stash , then maybe there would be some way for the NSA to cripple the bitcoin currency and wipe out North Korea 's savings. Not a way of dodging sanctions (Score:2). by mysidia ( 191772 ) writes.

North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council. Illuminati Secrets Revealed! Ex-Master Mason Tells All.

“We definitely see sanctions being a big lever driving this sort of activity,” said Luke McNamara, a researcher at FireEye and author of the new report. “They probably see it as a very low-cost solution to bring in hard cash.”

The 15-member Security Council on Monday approved sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its latest missile and nuclear tests. U.S. officials said the new measures would cut the country’s textile exports by 90 percent, restricting its ability to get hard currency.

So far this year, FireEye has confirmed attacks on at least three South Korean exchanges, including one in May that was successful. Around the same time, local media reported that Seoul-based exchange Yapizon lost more than 3,800 bitcoins (worth about $15 million at current rates) due to theft, although FireEye said there are not clear indications of North Korean involvement.

North Korea’s telecommunications ministry didn’t respond to an emailed request for comments. The country’s diplomats and official media have denied the country played any role in cyberattacks, including the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.

Bitcoin is sinking on a report China is going to shut down exchanges

Bitcoin is down 5.68% at &dollar;US4,376 a coin following a Caixin report suggesting the China is going to shut down domestic exchanges. Two of China's largest bitcoin exchanges, Okcoin and Huobi, say they haven't received any such notices, according to a tweet from Bloomberg's Lulu Yilun Chen.Two of China's largest bitcoin exchanges, Okcoin and Huobi, say they haven't received any such notices, according to a tweet from Bloomberg's Lulu Yilun Chen.

North Korea bitcoin “mining” activity is likely to be overseen by the state. New U.N. sanctions against North Korea are the harshest yet. Hi friends, where is the secret of bitcoin cash price I hope you love this video please HIT Like Button or share to anyone Join me on Facebook page : https

Why Is South Korea Suddenly Terrified Of Bitcoin This Week In Asia South China Morning Post. Life Inside a Secret Chinese Bitcoin Mine.

North Korea operates what South Korea believes is an army of hackers expanding its focus from military espionage to financial theft. The regime’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, which directly reports to Kim Jong Un, handles peacetime cyber operations from espionage to network disruptions and employs an estimated 6,000 officers, according to a 2016 report from the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

In the recent round of attacks, South Korea may have become a target not just due to its proximity to Pyongyang and shared language, but because the country has become one of the busiest trading hubs for cryptocurrencies this year. Seoul-based Bithumb is the world’s biggest exchange for ethereum. In June, it said hackers had stolen customer information from an employee’s computer, without identifying the attackers.

"As more money goes into cryptocurrency exchanges and more people buy bitcoin and ethereum, exchanges become larger targets for this group,” said McNamara. He said so far he did not have evidence that Kim Jong Un’s regime has targeted cryptocurrency exchanges outside of South Korea, but did not rule out the possibility in the future.

North Korean hackers are trying to steal bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

It’s no secret that in recent years, North Korea has stepped up efforts to expand its nuclear weapons stockpile. More quietly, though, it’s been stashing another commodity: bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.&nbsp;&nbsp;More quietly, though, it’s been stashing another commodity: bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoins are enabling the North Korean military to evade sanctions imposed upon them. I guess I'm not surprised by any of this, North Korea are hackers and Bitcoins present a target, okay.

Besides exchanges, FireEye said an English-language bitcoin news website was breached by North Korea, which would likely allow hackers to identify people visiting the site. It declined to name the website and said it believes North Korea prefers larger targets like exchanges than individual owners of cryptocurrencies.

The firm said previously it had found a connection between Pyongyang and the WannaCry attack from May and June, which affected more than 300,000 computers worldwide. McNamara said he also sees indications North Korean hackers are getting involved in cryptocurrency mining.

Take a look inside North Korea's economy

Attacks on the South Korean exchanges were carried out through so-called spear-phishing attacks, or emailing files laced with malware to specific targets. FireEye identified the malware, known as PEACHPIT, and provided examples of documents it was attached to, including one published by Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute about the state of bitcoin industries. When contacted, the author of the report confirmed he wrote it in 2014, but was unaware that someone was distributing a press release about it this year.

The group behind the hacks, which FireEye identified as TEMP.Hermit, has made a name for itself out of bitcoin theft, including a 2015 attack on South Korea’s nuclear industry. The hackers have also been tiedby other security firms to last year’s attack on Samsung Electronics Co.’s corporate messenger app and, most prominently, the breach of Sony Corp.’s film studio, which the FBI blamed on North Korea.

China, Russia begin naval drills near North Korea

China and Russia began naval drills near North Korea on Monday amid continuing tensions over the isolated state's nuclear ambitions and ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting this week, where North Korea is likely to loom large. North Korea launched a missile over Japan last Friday, its second in the past three weeks, and conducted its sixth and by far most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, in defiance of international pressure.

I'm sorry, but a country of 25 million people is " dodging sanctions " with tens of millions of dollars in bitcoins ? That's not really an amount of money to dodge much of anything at all. Per capita statistics are misleading for North Korea .

"They’re pretty capable actors in comparison to other North Korean activity we see,” said McNamara. "They’ve been creative in how they use their cyber-espionage capability."

The malware used in bitcoin hacks is linked to the group suspected of attacks on the payment systems of global banks last year, according to FireEye. The FBI is also examining North Korea’s link to the theft of $81 million through the New York Fed last year, Bloomberg Markets reported last month.

FireEye said if the hackers wanted to convert bitcoin or ethereum into dollars or won, they’d likely first exchange them into harder-to-trace cryptocurrencies like Monero and then into fiat currency. A similar technique was used last month to empty the bitcoin wallets related to WannaCry.

“They could compromise an exchange and transfer those bitcoins to other exchanges elsewhere in Asia or exchange them for a more anonymous cryptocurrency,” said McNamara. “There are variety of things they could do to cash out.”

Trump's Threat To 'Destroy' North Korea Is Wrong: Merkel .
Germany and the United States disagree on how to handle the standoff with North Korea, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, condemning U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” the reclusive state. Merkel, who is expected to win a fourth term in an election on Sunday, said sanctions and diplomacy were the only way to get the nuclear armed state to the negotiating table.“I am against such threats,” Merkel told the Deutsche Welle broadcaster when asked about Trump’s remarks at the United Nations. “We consider any form of military solution as totally inappropriate and we insist on a diplomatic solution.

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North Korea may be making a fortune from bitcoin mania NORTH KOREA HACK: IS KIM JONG UN STEALING BITCOINS TO FUND HIS NUCLEAR MISSILE ARSENAL? New U.N. sanctions against North Korea are the harshest yet.

World: North Korea is dodging sanctions with a secret bitcoin stash - us.pressfrom.com

I'm sorry, but a country of 25 million people is " dodging sanctions " with tens of millions of dollars in bitcoins ? It’s no secret that in recent years, North Korea has stepped up efforts to expand its nuclear weapons stockpile. More quietly, though, it’s been stashing another commodity: bitcoin and.

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Dodging Sanctions With a Secret If North Korea is building up a bitcoin stash , then maybe there would be some way for the NSA to cripple the bitcoin currency and wipe out North . North Korean hackers are trying to steal bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Money North Korea is dodging sanctions with a secret bitcoin stash - uk.pressfrom.com

If North Korea is building up a bitcoin stash , then maybe there would be some way for the NSA to cripple the bitcoin currency and wipe out North Korea 's savings. Not a way of dodging sanctions (Score:2). by mysidia ( 191772 ) writes.

Bitcoin 'Mining': North Korea Is Dodging Sanctions With a Secret - beforeitsnews.com

North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council. Illuminati Secrets Revealed! Ex-Master Mason Tells All.

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North Korea bitcoin “mining” activity is likely to be overseen by the state. New U.N. sanctions against North Korea are the harshest yet. Hi friends, where is the secret of bitcoin cash price I hope you love this video please HIT Like Button or share to anyone Join me on Facebook page : https

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Bitcoins are enabling the North Korean military to evade sanctions imposed upon them. I guess I'm not surprised by any of this, North Korea are hackers and Bitcoins present a target, okay.

Bitcoin ‘mining’: North Korea Is Dodging Sanctions With a Secret - www.venturecanvas.com

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